In the related art, a liquid processing method has been known in which a rinsing liquid such as deionized water (DIW) is supplied onto a target substrate (object to be processed) where a plurality of minute convex portions are formed as fine patterns on the surface of a substrate main body (main body) and the target substrate is dried after supplying the rinsing liquid. However, in the conventional liquid processing method, when the rinsing liquid supplied to the target substrate is dried, the surface tension of the rinsing liquid is applied between the convex portions protruding from the substrate main body. As a result, adjacent convex portions are tensioned therebetween and may collapse.
A technology of cleaning a target substrate has been known using a chemical liquid, removing the chemical liquid using DIW, and forming a water-repellent protective layer on the surface of the target substrate in order to prevent the convex portions from collapsing (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4403202).
However, in the case where the surface (base surface) of a substrate main body and the surfaces of convex portions become are fully water-repellent, when a drying process is performed, a rinsing liquid is not always uniformly dried on the surface of a target substrate and a portion where the rinsing liquid is dried and a portion wet with the rinsing liquid may coexist according to, for example, a pattern shape of the convex portions. In this case, the surface tension of the rinsing liquid applied to the convex portions on the main body of the substrate loses its balance between the portion where the rinsing liquid is dried and the portion wet with the rinsing liquid, and as a result, there is a concern that the convex portions may collapse.